For decades, human resources and IT have been viewed as two entirely separate worlds – one managing people, the other managing technology.
But a growing number of companies are now bringing the two functions under one leader, a move driven largely by the rapid adoption of artificial intelligence (AI).
According to workplace software firm Nexthink, 64% of senior IT decision-makers at large companies expect their HR and IT teams to merge within the next five years. The aim is to ensure that technology and people strategies are developed in tandem – and that businesses are ready for an AI-powered future.
Tracey Franklin, chief people and digital technology officer at biotech giant Moderna, oversees both HR and IT for the company’s 5,000-plus employees. That includes core IT services as well as the digital technology used in drug development, manufacturing and commercialisation.
“Traditionally, HR would plan how many humans we need to get tasks done, and IT would respond to requests for the systems to do it,” she says. “Now it’s about designing how work flows through the organisation, deciding what’s done with technology – hardware, software, AI – and where human skills fit best.”
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